The Süleymaniye Hamam is a historic

Turkish bath A hammam (), also often called a Turkish bath by Westerners, is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited from the model ...

(''hamam'') in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, Turkey, that forms part of the

Süleymaniye Mosque The Süleymaniye Mosque (, ) is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Seven hills of Istanbul, Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. The mosque was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent () and designed by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan. An ...

complex. The building, on a hill facing the

Golden Horn The Golden Horn ( or ) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with the Bosphorus Strait at the point where the strait meets the Sea of Marmara, the waters of the ...

, was built in 1557 by Turkish architect,

Mimar Sinan Mimar Sinan (; , ; – 17 July 1588) also known as Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ, ("Sinan Agha (title), Agha the Grand Architect" or "Grand Sinan") was the chief Ottoman Empire, Ottoman architect, engineer and mathematician for sultans Suleiman ...

, and was named for his patron,

Süleyman the Magnificent Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the Ottoman sultan between 1520 and his death in 1566. Under his adminis ...

, who had commissioned it. It was sometimes called the 'metalworkers' bath' because many workers from the nearby foundries used to frequent it. The building is arched and domed, with elaborate marble inlay on the walls. The Sülemaniye Hamam is a traditional bathhouse consisting of three sections: cold, lukewarm and hot. Temperatures in the hot section can reach degrees. A private cubicle said to have been used by Sinan when he lived near the mosque complex from 1557 to 1588 is still preserved. Another private cubicle reserved for the sultan was later used for high-ranking theological scholars.

Contemporary use

In 2001, the ''hamam'' was restored to cater for tourists. It is the only ''hamam'' in Istanbul where men and women bathe together, something that would never have happened in the past. Male attendants, called ''tellak'', look after all the clients, again something that would never have happened in the past.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Suleymaniye Hamam Culture of Turkey Ottoman baths Tourist attractions in Istanbul Ottoman architecture in Istanbul Mimar Sinan buildings Suleiman the Magnificent Public baths in Turkey